(NASHVILLE, Tenn.), October 22, 2015 – State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston) and Representative Ron Travis (R-Dayton) today praised the approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of an operating license for TVA’s Watts Bar Unit 2. Earlier this year, Yager and Travis won passage of Senate Joint Resolution 92 in the Tennessee General Assembly encouraging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to support the license application submitted by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“This is tremendous news,” said Senator Yager. “Watts Bar Unit 2 will be on track to provide the first nuclear energy in the 21st century. I am very excited about the possibilities it will bring in electricity generation, jobs and economic development in our region.”

Once operational, Watts Bar Unit 2 will be one of the first nuclear plants in the United States to meet new regulations established after the disaster at Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan.

“This license is of tremendous importance to Southeast Tennessee,” added Representative Travis. “Nuclear energy serves an important role in U.S. grid stability and helps deliver cost efficient electricity to this region. We are very pleased that this license has been granted and are looking forward to seeing the jobs that will be created as a result of it.”

Watts Bar Unit 2 has employed over 3,200 skilled workers and will employ more after its completion. The Tennessee Valley Authority projects that the total cost will range between $4 billion and $4.5 billion.